Pre-light Experience

The wrapper is very dark brown and carries a couple of slightly raised veins. The seams are smooth and barely visible and the head is finished off with a well applied triple cap. There are two bands with the first being the newer design for the brand with this line being black, silver, gray and red. The secondary strip band is red and silver and denotes AJ Fernandez. The aroma from the wrapper is a mix of sweet hay and baking spice while the foot brings tobacco sweetness and white pepper. The pre-light draw brings some sweet and spicy cedar and a medium level spiciness transfers to my lips.

Pre-light Experience

The Hoyo de Monterrey HOYO La Amistad Black Rothschild has a very dark, rustic looking wrapper. It features a primary and secondary band. The primary band is black letter on black background, with silver and red accents. The secondary band has ‘AJ FERNANDEZ’ in silver on a red background. Nosing the wrapper, I pick up aromas of fresh cedar, and chipotle pepper, with dry hay from the foot.

First Third

The cigar begins with a note that straddles the line between an intense baking spice or concentrated char. There is a fair amount of mustiness that accompanies this note as well. At a quarter inch in, that note has settled on the side of very charred wood. There is a bit of black pepper along with it as well as getting me to salivate a fair amount with a direct hit in the middle of my tongue as if I had poured a packet of Sweet-n-Low on it. The retrohale has an intense black pepper with a significant zing that is followed up by mustiness. At an inch in, the full on charred wood and mustiness remain and I still get a quick hit of that artificial sweetener sensation. While the body was quite full, the strength was slightly below medium.

First Third

The first third begins with powdered cocoa and post draw leather. The retrohale has pepper with a medium plus pepper finish on the post draw. That pepper has a significant lingering time on the back of my throat. Some light plus earthiness joins in as the cigar settles into the profile, as each draw finishes now with pepper. The pepper on the retrohale continues to intensify as the cigar progresses, with some sweetness cutting it at the end of the draw. By the bottom half of the cigar, the earthiness is now overpowering the other flavors.

Second Third

As the second third begins, the charred wood has mellowed a fair amount and the mustiness is even with it. The artificial sweetener sensation has also gone away. At a half inch in, the mustiness has moved ahead of the charred wood. There is a slight bitter finish to the profile now. The retrohale still has a slight black pepper bite, but mostly shows the charred wood and mustiness. As the third comes to a close, the wood takes on a bit of a pine note. The strength in this third bumped up to medium.

Second Third

Earthiness leads the profile moving into the second third, with the intense pepper reduced to a light plus. Sweet barbecue mixes in as the second third settles. Minutes later, cocoa joins in, just underneath the earth. Toasted cedar joins at the midway point, with bitterness on the tip of my tongue.

Final Third

As the final third begins, the musty pine profile continues. At a half inch in, the body picks up as the pine becomes a bit brighter. The retrohale shows the same mix of pine and mustiness. As the cigar comes to a close, it maintains the musty pine. The strength remained at medium.

Final Third

Earth defines the profile moving into the final third at medium minus strength. The pepper that was so dominant for the first two thirds is now a background note. Cocoa is still present but being run over, along with the sweetness. The post draw consists of earth with light pepper.

Burn

The burn line was slightly wavy but never needed any attention. The ash held on through each third.

Burn

The burn is slightly uneven in the first third, but self corrects. A re-light is necessary in the middle third. The ash production is up to 2 inches throughout the smoking experience.

Draw

The draw started out fairly loose but tightened up as it went along and was at the level I prefer by the final third.

Overall

The Hoyo de Monterrey HOYO La Amistad Black Rothschild started with an intense profile of charred wood and mustiness and had an artificial sweetener sensation on my palate. By the second third, the char had mellowed and that artificial sweetener sensation went away. The wood morphed to pine and it finished with the musty pine. The construction was very good and needed no attention while the strength was right around medium the whole way. I can’t say the cigar brought a great experience as it was quite out of balance to start, became better in the second third and then finished on a down note. There was nothing here that would want to make me come back to this cigar.

Draw

The draw is 1 to 1-1/2 notches into the resistant spectrum, but still what I would consider very good.

Overall

The Hoyo de Monterrey HOYO La Amistad Black Rothschild is unbalanced and dominated by almost overwhelming pepper, until the final third where it’s dominated by almost overwhelming earth. I don’t have the requisite tobacco experience to determine whether the issue is with the tobacco, or the blending, but my experience tells me that the tobacco wasn’t ready when the cigar was produced. Flavors of powdered cocoa and sweetness are drowned by pepper and earthiness.

Aaron Loomis

SCORE

4.43

Cost/Point

$1.64

Scoring System

John McTavish

SCORE

5.50

Cost/Point

$1.33

Scoring System

Team Cigar Review: Hoyo de Monterrey HOYO La Amistad Black Rothschild